Workspace is an exciting concept and gives one an opportunity to work – away from home and collaborate, brainstorm, network and socialise. We are visiting workspaces this month and the following one and will be presenting a series of reviews to our readers. The first one is Social Offline that we visited on the third Tuesday of September this year and here is the review:

SOCIAL OFFLINE’S intent is connecting people offline while they are online. They come with three different offerings: Workspace, dining and bar. The Workspace and the dining restaurant operate during the day and the bar after working hours. The place is in the sideways of Hauz Khas Village in Delhi. The entry to the place is different and interesting. A graffiti alley leads you to a security check and then inside of it. The place has rustic interiors with wooden furniture, red brick unplastered walls, dim lighting with hanging bulbs from the ceiling and low volume music. It is spacious with two floors. The ground floor lounge hosts some workspace and a restaurant. The first floor is all about the workspace with a conference room and a balcony. As a workspace it offers a casual ambience, intending it to be fun though, wherein an individual can come daily at a chosen workstation or a different desk everytime and work. One can find all kinds of people here, entrepreneurs, freelancers. startup individuals, artists, work from home individuals. It offers an individual all the facilities of an office – internet connection, air conditioning, power back up, conference room with whiteboard and projector, food and drinks. The space is limited to 50 seats with a fee of INR 5,000 a month for 1 seat and that can be redeemed for food and drinks. One can apply online for a workspace and maximum two seats are allowed for a team. The selection process is little rigorous as management has its own criteria based on the profile of the applicant and some other considerations.

And about the food, the place offers a variety of food and drinks with its own unique presentation style – army plates, some of the drinks in pickle tumblers etc. The menu card is in the form of a rolled newspaper placed in a cutlery holder with a roll of tissue paper. We ordered one veggie sandwich which had four servings nicely packed on top of each other giving the sandwich a skyscraper frame. This presentation did bring a smile over our faces. The salads we ordered had veggies with semi-boiled eggs in it but could have been better if there had been an option of only veggie salad as well. The food menu was different on the two floors with fewer options on the first floor. We found the price of food a little on a higher side while drinks we have heard are reasonably priced, we didn’t try them though.

The plus point about the place for those who want to consider it as a workspace is its casual feel and the view from its balcony, which overlooks some greenery and gives the feel of a hill station. But the negative point is that the balcony is a smoking zone as well which might thwart some to enter there and enjoy. Also the dim lighting across the entire space gives Social the mood and feel of a bar and not the work ambience. For us the right work ambience will be more lighting, little more seriousness in terms of ambience, people’s speech volume and a smoke free balcony.

Social Offline as an experience does deserve a one-time visit and an exploration. And I am sure readers can then make a choice of future visits based on their preferences and likes.

Please share:

What if you don’t feel like working at home anymore or you think that you are not very efficient while working at home or your parents who are used to seeing you going out and working are not excited to see you at home throughout the day or you yourself want for some change and you long for human interactions? I myself had many of these questions and a desire for such a place which is not an office but a workplace where I can work at my own pace and socialize as well. And here it is the arrival of WORKSPACE, exactly what I wanted. Workspace is a shared space for a working style called Co-working wherein individuals from different companies work together. It is also known as Co-working hub. The term co-working was coined by Brad Neuberg in 2005 and he originally called this style “9 to 5 group”. The concept aims at creating a social, collaborative, less distracting informal work setting for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. Since many years, the coffee shops all across the country have catered this need of individuals subtly but now the workspaces are formally inviting these people to come for work, idea generation, networking and discussions.

In today’s digital world, people are online most of the time and those who are working on their own need some tangible human interactions. Workspaces are an attempt to bridge social isolation and bring back the energy, the bonds, the happiness and the laughter of togetherness. Today, co-working spaces exist worldwide, with many locations all across the globe. The concept is fast catching up in India as well, especially in metro cities where it is quite expensive to own a private office space and this option is very easy on the pockets. Also the majority demographic profile of our country, of below 35 years of age, prefers this working style more than a serious office setting.

In terms of facilities, these workspaces are offering almost all that is available in regular offices – workstations, storage cabins, air conditioning, internet access, pantry, cafeterias, conference rooms with projector, movie or game rooms, lounge areas, administrative and technical support, reception area, day care for kids, events, DJ, music etc.

So what is positive about these workspaces is that this setting is easy on mind by being informal, relaxed and no competition among peers. The concept fosters collaboration, sharing, effective work, constructive thoughts, creativity, learning and experience.

Some of the Co-working Spaces in Delhi are listed below:

socialoffline.in

Social Offline, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi. Price: INR 5,000 a month for 1 seat that is redeemable for food and drinks, hello@socialoffline.in.

Stirring Minds, Central Delhi. One of its biggest attractions is its location right in the middle of hustle and bustle of the city. A-2/3 Asaf Ali Road, Next to Delhi Stock Exchange, New Delhi, 110002, Price: INR 7999 per month (1 seat), info@stirringminds.com. Contact: 01146105679, or at 9999105679